DirecTV, WOW Top J.D. Power Study

8/17/2007 8:00 PM Eastern

By: Linda Moss

Satellite provider DirecTV ranked highest in customer satisfaction in three regions and cable overbuilder WideOpenWest was tops in one region among cable and satellite providers, according to a J.D. Power and Associates study released last week.

The 2007 Residential Cable/Satellite Satisfaction Study measured customer satisfaction in four geographic areas: North Central, East, West and South. Within each segment, six factors are measured to determine overall customer satisfaction: performance and reliability; customer service; cost of service; image; billing; and offerings and promotions. Customer satisfaction with cable/satellite provider performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale.

DirecTV ranked highest in the East (with an index score of 690), West (675), and South (682) regions, according to the survey.

Although the satellite provider ranked highest in the 2003 and 2004 studies, 2007 marks the first year that DirecTV lead in the West and South regions, and the second consecutive year it ranked highest in the East since the study was changed to a regional study. Additionally, DirecTV made considerable improvement in the performance and reliability factor in 2007.

In the North Central region, WOW, a competitive cable provider, ranked highest for a second consecutive year with an index score of 729 points — the highest satisfaction score in the study overall, and 21 points higher than the provider's 2006 score.

Cox Communications and Dish Network also performed well in the survey. In the West region, Cox was No. 2 behind DirecTV, with 650 points. The cable operator ranked third in the East region, with 648 points, behind DirecTV and Dish. And Cox was No. 4 in the South, with 638 points, behind DirecTV, Bright House Networks and Dish Network.

Dish ranked among the Top 3 for customer satisfaction in all four regions. In North Central, Dish Network was No. 3, with 640 points, behind No. l WOW and No. 2 DirecTV. In the East region, Dish Network ranked second, with 661 points, behind DirecTV. In the West and South, Dish Network ranked No. 3, with 645 and 657 points, respectively.

Cable providers fared better in last month's release of J.D. Power satisfaction results for phone customers, topping the list in all six regions.

The survey was based on responses from 17,033 U.S. households that evaluated their satellite or cable provider. Fielding for the study was conducted in April.